Edgewater Racism

Many Americans take pride in their country’s values: democracy, freedom, equality, and opportunity. One of the ironies of the American vision is that within such a seemingly equal and fair country, there are still several hateful concepts, such as racism, that are deeply rooted in everyday American life. One such example of racial tensions in the United States is displayed in the homeless community of Edgewater Boulevard, San Francisco. In Righteous Dopefiend, Bourgois and Schonberg describe the atmosphere of the Edgewater community and their observations of the racial tensions that exist within it during their time spent there. Although Edgewater is only a small fraction of the United States, the behavior, actions and opinions of its residents

reflect underlying attitudes and racial tensions still present in American society.
When Bourgois and Schonberg began their research, the Edgewater homeless camp was primarily white, save for one Latino man named Felix, and entirely male (Bourgois and Schonberg, 28).

This segregation, caused by the racist attitudes prevalent in the Edgewater homeless community, is a direct reflection of societal attitudes in the United States. Because racism has survived to some degree to this day, homeless whites in Edgewater cling to the notion of “white supremacy,” despite their socioeconomic status (Bourgois and Schonberg, 30). In Edgewater, homeless whites look down upon African-Americans with disdain, claiming “blacks” to be thieves and liars who can’t be trusted (Bourgois and Schonberg, 31). When African-Americans began moving into the Edgewater community during the second year of Bourgois and Schonberg’s research, racial tensions increased drastically. Initially, several white men gave up dry sleeping spots purely to increase the physical distance between the two races; however, many ultimately moved to an entirely new location, Dockside, despite it being a downgrade from Edgewater (Bourgois and Schonberg, 36). Without taking into account the economic environment of the Edgewater community, one may view actions such as giving up warmth and dryness just to get away from a group of people may seem severe. However, when examined from the perspective of the homeless inhabitants of Edgewater, it becomes apparent that in such close quarters, resources of coveted substances such as heroin are strained and racial tensions are heightened to impossible

extremes.
One of the peculiarities of the Edgewater homeless community goes by the name of Felix. While a majority of the residents of Edgewater identify as white or black, there is one Latino man, Felix, who “swings” between the racial groups. In the original white camp, Felix was an “honorary white,” but when Carter, Sonny, Stretch, and Tina arrived, Felix began to assert himself as a Latino, severing his ties with the whites in the process (Bourgois and Schonberg, 37). Felix’s Latino identity was solidified when he and a fellow Latino, Little Vic, mugged his former running partner, Frank (Bourgois and Schonberg, 39). Felix’s movement between the two racial groups can be construed as ethnic fluidity, and further demonstrates the racialized lines within the Edgewater community. Although he truly belongs to neither group, the changes in Felix’s behavior and attitude cater to each individual group, allowing him to swing back and forth between the two.